Unused Gift Cards? What About A Group That Collects Them For Charities?

Our post-Christmas post about the estimated $41 billion worth of gift cards that haven't been redeemed since 2005 seemed to strike a chord. And our shout-out for ideas about what to do with cards you don't want or that only have a little bit of money left on them generated some good responses. Such as this:

Trena Gravem (Trena) wrote:

Seriously, give your gift cards to a trusted church group or individual who will make sure they are distributed to homeless people, to people in shelters.

Which leads us to groups such as GiftCardGiver in Atlanta, which promises to "collect gift cards and give them to people in need." Or Donate My Card, which "allows you to donate the remaining balances on your pre-paid debit and gift cards to non-profit organizations."

We're not endorsing those groups, but do suggest that if collecting your unwanted or mostly used cards and giving them to charity is of interest, look for organizations that say they'll get the money to people in need (but, of course, do some due diligence beforehand to try and ensure that they actually do what they promise).